


Redemption

by inazuma_hunter



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I swear to god there's fluff, Liberal use of flashbacks, M/M, Regret, Season 3? Don't know her, Seriously season 3 doesn't happen in this fic, The divergence happens in Season 2, Update - the fluff has arrived, byler, just let me get to it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2020-07-23 13:56:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20009410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inazuma_hunter/pseuds/inazuma_hunter
Summary: One moment. One decision. One choice of action or inaction can change everything.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Be sure to pay attention to the dates when they appear. As noted in the tags, I will be using a few flashbacks, so the dates are to help keep things straight. This chapter is taking place two years after the events of Season 2, which will be present day for this fic. Enjoy!

_November 5, 1986_

Wednesday morning, and Mike Wheeler was up early, as per usual. He had already showered and brushed his teeth, and was now in the midst of putting on deodorant. The young man carefully styled his dark hair...well, as much as it allowed itself to be styled. But by the time he was done, he was relatively happy with how the unruly waves were flowing across his head. Mike paused before leaving the bathroom, and thought briefly before picking up his rarely used bottle of cologne and applying a few squirts. Because you see, while this may seem like a typical Wednesday during the school year, this was anything but. Today was special. Today, Mike had to look, and smell, his best. Because today, Mike was getting to see Will.

Mike gave himself one more approving glance in the mirror before heading across the hall to his bedroom. He quickly dressed in his best pair of jeans before perusing his closet for a shirt to wear. He finally landed on a Star Wars shirt featuring Yoda. Will loved Star Wars, and always cracked up at Mike's Yoda impressions. 

"Michael, hurry up, you're gonna be late for school," his mother's voice carried up the stairs to his room. He gave a half-hearted response back before hastily pulling on his shirt and scrounging around for his backpack. He finally found it buried under all the shirts he had passed on wearing and thrown to the floor. With a roll of his eyes he picked it up, unzipped it and unceremoniously dumped its contents onto the ground. He then proceeded to fill it up with the supplies he had gathered last night: the four latest issues of X-Men, a six-pack of orange soda (Will's favorite), a varied assortment of snacks, and a large picnic blanket.

One might consider this strange behavior for a boy whose mother just yelled at him about getting ready for school. But Mike had decided he wasn't going to school today. He didn't get to see Will at school anymore, and he _had_ to see him today. 

Mike willed himself to act natural as he bustled down the stairs. Most of him wanted to run directly out the door and hightail it out of there before his mom even saw him. But that would _definitely_ look suspicious. She would know something was up right away. So instead, he put his bag by the front door and took a seat at the breakfast table, just as he did every school morning.

"Good morning Michael," Karen Wheeler said, placing some toast and a glass of orange juice in front of her son. "Running a little late this morning aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Well, we'll have to hurry then. How do you want your eggs?"

"It's fine, I'll skip the eggs this morning, I'm not very hungry anyways," Mike replied, biting into his toast. But apparently that was the wrong thing to say as a worried look came over Karen's face.

"You're not hungry? What's wrong, do you not feel well?" she asked, bending down to look at Mike's face. She went to brush the hair on Mike's forehead to one side, presumably to see if he felt feverish, but the boy managed to scramble backwards as he fended her off.

"Mom, I'm fine, I'm just not that hungry. I'll pick up a snack at school or something." Mike looked up to see if that had appeased her, only to find a bemused look replacing the worried one.

"Are you...wearing cologne?" 

Sigh. This was not how he had seen this going in his head. "Is wearing cologne a crime?" he asked, trying his best to look unbothered.

"Well no," Karen answered, "it's just, you don't usually. Are you trying to impress someone at school? Is there a new girl in the picture?"

"Oh my god! I'm just trying something new is all. Now can I please go to school?"

"Fine, fine, go to school."

Mike quickly scrambled from the table and made his way to the door before she could change her mind. He grabbed a light jacket and slung on his backpack as he opened the door. 

"It's pretty cold Mike, don't you think your coat would be -"

"This is fine Mom, love you, gotta go!"

The closing door cut off any response that might have been forthcoming as Mike quickly mounted his bike and took off. It was ridiculous, but he didn't quite feel like he had gotten away until his house was completely out of sight. Only then did he slow his pace and start to enjoy his ride. He felt a brief pang of guilt about lying to his mother, but it only lasted a moment. After all, it was partially her fault that he hadn't seen his best friend in so long.

They had practically seen each other every day since the first day of kindergarten. But now all of the sudden it was too much? They needed to take a break from each other? It was bullshit! And the person that Mike thought would be on their side for sure had let him down as well. Joyce, of all people, had agreed with Karen! And so there was nothing left for Mike to do but lie. Neither Joyce nor Karen knew about today's meeting. It was strictly a secret between he and Will.

The dark-haired teen reached the street he usually took every morning, but instead of turning right towards school in the center of town, he took a left, heading to the outskirts of Hawkins. The traffic was almost non-existent, so he let himself weave down the middle of the road, enjoying the crisp wind in his hair. It was nice and clear, the sky a brilliant blue, with the sun shining down brightly. It was however, pretty chilly out, as November in Hawkins tended to get. 

"Fuck, I should've brought my coat," Mike muttered to himself, bemoaning the fact that his mother had been right. He powered through the thought anyways, as he finally saw his destination up ahead. He carefully parked his bike outside the fence line running the perimeter of the property. His eyes were already looking for Will as he entered through the gate and saw the acres of carefully manicured grass rolling out in front of him. It doesn't take long before he spotted him in the same place as usual.

"Hey, Will!" he said excitedly, striding towards his best friend. "Man, you have no idea how much I missed you."

Mike took off his backpack and retrieved the blanket before spreading it out on the grass and taking a seat. "We have so much to talk about since it's been so long," Mike bubbled excitedly. "But, I also brought the new comics, and I bet you're as excited as I am to get to those. So, should we read first and catch up after? Or save the reading until later?"

The teen looked at his friend expectantly, but Will didn't respond. He never really did these days, but that was fine with Mike. Mike was a talker anyways, he could carry the conversation. "Alright, we'll start with the comics then," he said, pulling one out. "Shall we?"

He looked across at his friend one last time. And it was the same as it always was:

_William Byers  
Beloved Son, Brother, and Friend  
1971-1984_

"Awesome," Mike smiled. "Let's get started."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, muttering to myself: "They're there...I know they are. Don't look. DON'T LOOK."  
> *looks anyways, sees angry mob with pitchforks and torches*  
> "Fuck, I knew it."
> 
> Okay so listen. I know that was a bit of a gut punch ending. But! Don't give up on this story right away. If you've read any of my other stories, you know I don't have a taste for total tragedy. I love Byler too much to write something without any hope. And there will be Byler in this story. We might just have to get a little creative. So strap in, I should have the next chapter out within a week. And it will explain just what happened to get us to the point we're at. Until then feel free to drop some theories or thoughts in the comments.
> 
> EDIT: Special thanks to angry pixie for looking over these first couple of chapters for me. Helped give me the confidence to post this story!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so don't expect anything close to this update schedule to last, but, since the first chapter was really just a bit of a prologue, I'm back with chapter 2. As promised, this chapter will help you see how we got to the point we're at in the story. This takes place during Season 2, Episode 9.

_November 5, 1984 - Two Years ago_

Mike Wheeler stared at the taillights of the two vehicles that were driving away from the Byers house. Each car holding a person that was incredibly important to him. A person that Mike couldn't imagine himself living without. And that was the reason that a pit of despair was growing larger and larger deep in his belly. You see each one of those cars that had left was heading for uncertainty and danger. Life-altering, disastrous danger. It was a real possibility that Mike might not ever see either person alive again - and all he could do was stand there and stare.

He felt so useless. He had _just_ gotten Eleven back, after almost a year of being apart. 353 days to be exact - yes they had _both_ been counting. 353 days of calling every single night, never giving up the hope that she was alive and out there somewhere. And she had heard him! Even if Hopper hadn't allowed her to answer (a fact that Mike was _still_ quite upset about), she had heard him. They had been on each other's minds all that time, and that was just more proof to the boy that their relationship was special. So what if they had only known each other for a week? So what if this was the first girl that had actually shown any sort of interest in Mike whatsoever. Sometimes....sometimes you just _knew_. And Mike knew that he and El were destined to be together.

But yet, after all that, he had gotten to see her for less than an hour, and she was gone again. Off to try to close the gate and cut off the Mind Flayer's connection to their world, and by proxy, kill off the entirety of his army. An action, which seemed like a win-win until Mike had brought up the very important fact that Will was now part of that army.

Will. The second person Mike was currently worried sick about. As if Will hadn't already been through enough in the past year, now he had to deal with this shit? Fuck...Will had never really been himself since returning from the Upside Down. Sure, you saw glimpses of him, but he was always more...withdrawn now. More reserved. Mike had chalked it up to some sort of PTSD, because after all being dragged off to another dimension and hunted by a monster was sure to change you. But Mike never imagined Will was still actively dealing with supernatural shit. Not until a few nights ago on Halloween, after Mike had found him shaken and afraid, huddling in fear of something. It was only then, when the two of them made it back to Mike's house alone, that he finally confessed to Mike what had been going on.

Apparently these episodes had been happening with increasing frequency. He said it was like he was stuck. Stuck between our world and the Upside down. Like being between two slides on a View-Master. And even more terrifying, he went on to describe a huge shadow monster in the sky that seemed to be honing in on him. Unbeknownst to Mike at the time, Will was describing the Mind Flayer. But Mike still didn't know if this was really happening, or if it was in Will's head. So he did his best to try to comfort him. Told him of his own struggles with El, about seeing stuff that may or may not be there. And assured him, that if they were both going crazy, well...at least they'd go crazy together.

That had earned him a smile...probably the last smile he had seen from Will since. And Mike had tried, he really had, to keep that promise. Crazy together. He had left school the day Will hadn't shown up and no one was answering the phone at the Byers. Pleaded with Joyce to let him in, to let him _see_ Will. And hadn't left Will's side since. He'd been there through everything. The Hopper rescue, where Will had suddenly collapsed in agony. The hospital visit, where Bob had been brutally killed and Mike had finally realized that Will was being controlled. And then there was the shed - 

"Wheeler, get your ass inside already," Steve snapped, breaking Mike out of his trance. The boy looked around to find that the rest of his friends had already gone back inside. 

Mike grumbled to himself as he trudged into the Byers residence. Lucas and Max were busy trying to clean the broken glass up from the floor, while Dustin was _insisting_ to Steve that they put the dead creature El had killed into the fridge to preserve it. But Mike couldn't concentrate on any of that. How could he? He picked up his train of thought right where it had left off - in the shed with Will.

When he had first gone in there, he felt a bit out of place honestly. Sure, Joyce and Jonathan were natural choices to be in there, they were his family. And Hopper made sense too, he was the chief of police, the one in charge. He needed to be there to assess and quickly take care of any risks or decipher any information that came up. But Mike? Did Mike really have any more business being in there than Dustin? Or Lucas? He was starting to feel awkward as Joyce told her story about Will's eighth birthday, and the rainbow ship he drew.

That feeling grew even more intense when Jonathan started talking. Telling Will about the day their dad walked out on them. The day they built Castle Byers together. These were deeply personal, private stories, bringing Will's mom and brother to tears as they recounted them. Was Mike intruding? Should he have just stayed in the house with the others? But it was as Jonathan was finishing that it struck the boy. He had his own story - he knew _exactly_ what to say.

_"Do you remember the first time that we met?"_

"Mike would you just stop already!" Lucas exploded, busting into Mike's thoughts. 

The boy jerked to a stop as he looked up at his friend. To be honest, Mike didn't even realize he had been pacing. Lucas was staring at him, expecting some sort of explanation. For some reason, he didn't feel like sharing what he had just been thinking about. His tear filled confession to Will that asking him to be his friend was the best thing Mike had ever done. _Ever_.

Mike wasn't necessarily embarrassed about admitting such a fact...not really. Okay, maybe a little. But more than that, it felt like a private moment between he and Will. Just like Joyce and Jonathan's stories had. They weren't really meant for everyone's ears. And besides...it might make the others feel bad. He had already told Dustin he didn't just have one best friend, that he considered all three of his friends to be his 'best friends'. But in that moment out in the shed, he realized that wasn't quite true. Will _was_ his best friend. Or at least his _best_ best friend. So Mike blurted out the other concern that was on his mind. 

"You weren't in there, okay, Lucas? That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs."

"Demo-dogs," Dustin insisted from the kitchen, drawing a deadly glare from Mike.

"The chief will take care of her," Lucas insisted.

"Like she needs protection," Max huffed.

At this point, Steve could sense Mike was getting upset, and decided to interject. "Listen dude, a coach calls a play in the game, bottom line, you execute it, all right?"

"Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game," Mike spat back. "And second, we're not even in the game. We're on the bench."

"Ri-right, so my point is," Steve stammered, as his analogy was turned against him. "Right, yeah, we're on the bench. So there's nothing we can do."

"That's not _entirely_ true," Dustin put in. "I mean, these demo-dogs, they have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away."

"So if we get their attention..." Lucas said, starting to get Dustin's drift.

"Maybe we can draw them away from the lab!" Max added.

"Clear a path to the gate," Mike finished.

"Yeah, and then we ALL die," Steve said incredulously, not believing his ears.

"Yeah, that's one point of view," Dustin relented.

"That's not a point of view man...that's a fact."

Shit. Maybe Steve was right. Even putting aside the fact that if they were successful, they would probably die, what could four kids plus Steve even do to get the demo-dogs attention? Mike looked at Dustin and Lucas, not surprised at all to see their eyes on him. After all, he was the leader of the Party (democracy or not), they would follow whatever he said. Max was looking to him too (even though she definitely _wasn't_ in the party), and Steve was staring at him, his eyes almost pleading with Mike not to do anything stupid.

The Paladin took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He _knew_ sometimes he let his emotions get the best of him, let them rule over his decisions. And he had been burned by it in the past, on more than one occasion. But this time? The stakes were too high. What if El was right? What if she _could_ handle everything? She did have Hopper with her. It's conceivable that Joyce could get the shadow monster out of Will, El could close the gate, and everything would work out perfectly.

Meanwhile, if Mike tried to make up some dumb plan on the fly, he could get himself or his friends (or Max) hurt. He imagined El fighting valiantly to close the gate, only to get back and find out that the one person she wanted to see most wasn't there to greet her. Or Will, finally free of the Mind Flayer that had been possessing him, making it home, wanting nothing more than to see his friend. Only Mike wouldn't be there, all because he let his emotions drive his actions. 

The heartbroken look on both of their faces flooded Mike's vision. He knew he couldn't do that. To either of them. And besides...how the fuck was he supposed to distract the demo-dogs anyways? He had no clue how to get their attention. So, for maybe the first time ever, Mike Wheeler decided to play it cool.

"Steve's right," he said, noting almost every set of eyebrows in the group shooting up. "Well, not about making it some dumb sports game. But, as much as I hate to admit it, I think the best thing we can do in this situation is wait. Who knows, it might be that they will need our help, and try to contact us. But until then...I vote for staying put."

"E-exactly," Steve said, taking advantage of the stunned silence. "It's all about being a team player in these situations. Way to step up and do the right thing, man."

Mike huffed and rolled his eyes, and was about to insist again that this had nothing to do with sports, when the sound of loud rock music and screeching tires sounded from out front. Max ran to the window with a worried look on her face, seemingly knowing who it was before she even saw.

"It's my brother, he can't know I'm here. He'll kill me!" she said, panicked. "He'll kill us."

The next few minutes were all a blur for Mike. Steve had tried to go outside and persuade Billy to leave, but Billy had forced his way into the house. When he saw Max standing there next to Lucas, his rage began to overflow. He attacked the dark-skinned boy, but Steve came to the rescue before he could do any real damage. The fight that followed was furious, but Steve seemed to be winning - until Billy shattered a plate over his head.

Taking advantage of the dirty move, he knocked Steve to the ground and started pounding his face in. All three boys were frozen in shock, not knowing what to do, but that's when Max acted, taking a hypodermic needle filled with a sedative and jammed it in her stepbrother's neck. And if that wasn't remarkable enough, she followed that up by grabbing Steve's nail-enhanced baseball bat and came within an inch of permanently impacting Billy's family jewels. The bully got the message, finally promising to leave Max and her friends alone before he passed out.

"Whoa," Mike heard himself say, clearly impressed. Though there was one problem.

"What are we gonna do with him?" Dustin asked. Max barely thought for a second before digging in Billy's pocket.

"Here," she said, tossing the keys. "Lock him up in his own trunk for now. Hopper will know what to do when he gets back."

It took all three of the boys to wrestle Billy's limp form into his trunk. Meanwhile, Max had started to patch Steve up with supplies found in the Byers bathroom. One of his eyes looked pretty bad, but he'd live. Once that was done, there was nothing left to do but wait and pace. Or wait and sit. Or wait and wait.

Fifteen minutes passed. Then thirty. Steve woke up at about the forty-five minute mark, groggy but okay, and the group quickly brought him up to speed on what happened. He begrudgingly thanked Max for helping, but insisted he had everything under control still. An assertion to which Lucas and Dustin started jabbing him about. "What, were you going to tire out his fists with your face?" the curly-haired boy asked.

Mike knew they were all nervous, and were just trying to do _anything_ to stay loose. To not go crazy. But he couldn't bring himself to participate. He was already sick with worry, and was really starting to get impatient by the time an hour and a half had passed. It was about then that he started to wonder how much longer he'd be able to contain himself, but then he heard a car pulling up outside. The group all jumped to their feet simultaneously and ran to the door. Which group would it be? The Byers and Nancy? Or Hopper and El?

Mike didn't really have a preference, he needed both of them back safe after all, no matter the order. So a great sense of relief overpowered him when he saw Chief Hopper's truck in the Byers driveway. But when no one immediately got out, his throat started to tighten up. The driver's side door finally popped open, and Hopper stumbled out, looking half dead. He had a self-styled bandage wrapped around his head, and his limp was noticeable as he tried to hobble around to the passenger side.

Steve made it to the police chief's side just as Hopper started to fall. "Shit, Dustin, help me," he said, trying to support the big man's weight. 

"Wh-where's El?" Mike asked, trying to keep the quaver out of his voice. 

"Passenger seat," Hopper grunted. "She's unconscious though. G-get her inside."

As Steve and Dustin guided the man inside, Mike rushed to the passenger door of the truck and threw it open. There she was, just as Hopper said, passed out on the seat. She seemed to be breathing fine, but like Hopper, she had quite a few cuts and bruises, and Mike was one step away from freaking out. "Lucas, grab her legs," he snapped as he carefully eased her upper body out of the vehicle. Between the two of them, they managed to carry into the house and place her gently on the couch. The amount of dried blood under her nose and over her mouth and chin showed what kind of effort she had had to put out.

Mike reached out a hand to caress her cheek, but an exclamation from Steve stopped him short.

"Jesus Christ, this is bad!"

When Mike turned to where Hopper had been sat down at the kitchen table, he couldn't help the gasp that escaped his lips. He had realized Hop looked beat up outside, but now inside under the lights, Mike saw how bad it really was. The bandage that was covering the chief's face was actually wrapped over one his left eye, soaked all the way through with blood. He had numerous scratches on his face and arms, and what looked like a particularly nasty gash on his right leg. Mike got up and joined the rest of the group over at the table as Hopper slapped Steve's hand away.

"Don't bother looking, the eye is gone," he grunted.

"What the hell happened out there?" Mike exploded. Hopper took a long, slow drink out of the glass of water Max had brought him before answering.

"Those god-damn dogs were everywhere," he said. "They had swarmed the whole place. My plan was for El to not exert any energy until we reached the gate. That I'd take care of everything up until then...but that fell apart quickly. I was basically useless. There was just so many of them that I -"

"So wait...did you even get to close the gate?" Lucas cut in.

"Yeah, all thanks to her," Hopper nodded to where El was still laying on the couch. "She was...amazing. Her power had grown so much in the past few days since I saw her last. But even so, she had to do so much just to get us to the gate. The dogs were on us practically as soon as we walked in. I only was able to take out a couple before we started getting overrun, and she had to start using her powers."

The group waited patiently as Hopper took another sip of water before continuing. "We made it to where the gate was, but she had done so much, she was already exhausted. I was ready to just call the whole thing off, get the hell out of there and try again another night. But she...she dug deep. She put every ounce of strength into it, and she did it. She closed the damn thing. I've never been prouder of anyone in my whole life."

Mike gazed at the unconscious girl laying on the couch, a similar sense of pride flowing through his veins at what she had been able to accomplish. But there was also something else there - relief. Because if they voluntarily closed the gate, they _must_ have gotten word from Jonathan to do so. That they had been successful in driving the Mind Flayer out of Will's body. There's just no way Hopper would've closed the gate otherwise. But still...as sure as he felt...he had to hear it out loud before he would let himself fully relax.

"And Will? They should be coming back here soon too, right?" he asked hopefully.

Hopper's face dropped abruptly, causing Mike's stomach to do the same. "I...I don't know about Will."

There was a tangible shift of energy, from hopeful to unnerving, as everyone in the room turned silent, taken aback by this news. Well, almost everyone.

"You don't know about Will?" Mike questioned incredulously as walked right up to the man. "You don't _know_ about Will!? What does that mean? You had to have heard from Jonathan if you closed the gate right?! What did he -”

"We never heard from Jonathan," Hopper cut in, shaking his head in dismay.

"THEN HOW COULD YOU CLOSE THE GATE!?" Mike screamed. This still wasn't adding up for him. "You KNOW that Will _died_ if the Mind Flayer wasn't out of him right!?" 

The boy was right up in the sheriff's face now, grabbing fistfuls of the man's collars as he demanded answers. He let up only slightly as he saw Hopper wince in pain, reminding Mike how extremely injured the man was. But still...he needed answers right? They all did.

"It was my fault, alright?" Hopper muttered, half-heartedly knocking Mike's arms off of him. "We were almost at the gate when Jonathan contacted me, telling me they were having some issues getting it out of Will. When I tried to respond, one of those creatures pounced. Demolished the walkie along with a chunk of my hand," he said, holding his hand up for inspection.

"After that...we had no way of communicating anymore. All we could do was make it to the gate and then hope that they had done their part to help Will. Trust me Mike we....we waited as long as we could, we really did. In fact, that's when this happened," Hopper said, pointing to his eye. "Once one of those fuckers attached itself to my face, El had no choice but to close it. I was the last line of defense for her. And if the dogs got her, then the Mind Flayer would've won, and everyone in Hawkins...and probably beyond would've been doomed."

Numbness was all Mike could feel. Numbness and disbelief. And one look at the eyes of his companions told him he wasn't alone. They were all in a similar state. The strained silence stretched for about thirty seconds before Dustin piped up. 

"Well...we don't know for sure what happened right? Maybe Will's okay. Maybe they were able to get it out of him in time."

For a moment, a brief spark of hope ignited in Mike's chest. Maybe everything _was_ still okay. Maybe Will was still alive after all. But then the front door was thrown open, causing everyone to jump. They had apparently been so focused on Hopper's story that they hadn't heard the car pull up in front of the house. Nancy was the first one through, and Mike only needed to take one look at her face to know that everything was not okay.

His worst fears were confirmed when Jonathan walked in next, tears streaming down his face as he held Will's limp form in his arms. Joyce was close behind, sobbing into her hands loudly.

No....this...this couldn't be happening. Seeing the couch taken, Jonathan made his way over and gently laid his brother on the table. It was like everything was in slow motion. No one could move. "Is...is he...?"

Lucas' voice quavered with the question that needed to be asked, even with the answer right in front of them.

"We tried," Jonathan choked out. "We tried so hard to drive that thing out of him. But I guess its control was just too strong in the end. It felt like we almost had it at one point. Like we just needed one final push - but then it just tightened its grip on him more. And then...all of the sudden he just stopped struggling. Stopped moving. We tried to revive him. But we couldn't. He's...he's gone."

Mike stood there, stock-still, completely unmoving as everyone around him reacted to the news. Lucas immediately began tearing up, Max started sobbing, and Dustin just muttered over and over to himself some version of 'no, this wasn't supposed to happen'. Steve dropped his head into his hands in disbelief, and Hopper looked like he was going to be sick.

But Mike? Mike couldn't yell. He couldn't scream. He couldn't even cry. All he could do was fall wordlessly to his knees right there on the kitchen floor. He felt his sister grab on to his shoulders, trying to comfort him. He could see her speaking in front of his face, but he couldn't hear anything she was saying. It was like a nightmare. Except that Mike knew this was no dream - it was reality. And as that fact hit home, Mike was finally able to let loose a soul-shattering sob as his whole world came crashing down around him.

\------------------

_November 5, 1986 - Present Day_

"Hmmm, what else. Oh! Lucas won the 100 meter dash title at districts again," Mike said brightly. It was now approaching 11:30 a.m. as he sat by the graveside of his best friend, catching him up on what had been going on at school. His demeanor dampened a bit with the next sentence. "I...part of me really wishes I had been there to see it. Dustin told me about it a few days ago."

A cold wind whipped through the cemetery, causing Mike to shiver. He really wished he had brought his coat now. Instead, he pulled his jacket tighter around him, searching for extra warmth in its confines as he drew his knees up to his chest. "I'm, uh....I'm sorry Will. That I didn't keep the Party together. I know that's what you would've wanted us to do. But after you left...everything was different. It just wasn't the same without you there. It hurt so badly. It was like...you left a giant hole that no one could fill."

Ugh. He hadn't planned on talking about this. This was supposed to be a happy day, finally getting to spend time with Will. But instead, tears were now streaming down his face as he sniffled aggressively, trying to stave off a total breakdown.

"I know it's dumb, but...sometimes I wish that I could hear your voice. Just one more time. I don't even know what I'd want you to say. Anything would do, you know? I just....I guess I just miss you."

The sitting boy leaned forward, resting his head on his knees as he tried to recompose himself. He took a few breaths, inhaling deeply before exhaling slowly. But just as he had gotten control, a familiar voice nearly made him jump out of his skin.

"Mike? Is that you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there you have it. There's the canon divergence. A small decision with a large consequence. I always loved in S2E9 how the three groups working together had to combine their efforts perfectly in order for things to work out. This is one possible outcome that might've happened if they didn't. 
> 
> Thoughts and comments are appreciated as always. What did you think about the point of divergence and the subsequent fallout? And who the hell was that voice at the end? Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

"Mike? Is that you?"

The startled boy whirled around to see Joyce Byers standing there, looking shocked. Which, was understandable - for as long as it had been that he hadn't visited Will, he hadn't seen Joyce for even longer. In fact, the last time they crossed paths was at this very spot many months ago, and it didn't end well.

"I thought I told you last time," the woman said, anger seeping into her voice as she recovered from her shock, "to quit coming here."

Mike quickly wiped his face with his jacket sleeve, trying very hard to look like he hadn't just been crying. "You don't own the cemetery, you can't stop me," he shot back.

A brief stare down followed with Mike attempting not to wither under Joyce's glare. Mike remembered a time when Joyce _never_ would've looked at him like that. Where she only had kindness in her eyes for the best friends of her son. But that gaze had died along with Will. Only coldness remained now.

"Fine, maybe you're right," she said, finally breaking the silence. "But I bet your mom can. I'm guessing she doesn't know you're skipping school to be here, does she?"

"Wait, no!" Mike pleaded, scrambling to his feet. "You can't! I mean...please don't."

Mike had shot up quite a bit in the past few years, to where now he had to look down into the unmoved face of the woman in front of him. "I just...I hadn't visited him in awhile, okay? And I...I didn't think he should be by himself _today,_ you know?" he said, his voice dropping.

He watched Joyce's eyes flick from his tear-streaked face, red with cold, to his setup in front of Will's grave, taking in the blanket, the spread out comics, and the variety of snacks. And for just a moment, he saw something soften in her countenance. "Well, you certainly made sure of that, didn't you? Looks like he had some good company today." She seemed to appraise Mike a few seconds more before coming to a decision.

"Stand right here, and don't move," she commanded. All Mike could do was nod, and watch as she approached Will's grave. She knelt down in front of it and closed her eyes, reaching out to stroke her hand over the 'William Byers' engraved on the headstone. Mike stood by awkwardly as she spent a few minutes in silent contemplation. She finally rose, giving Will one last sad smile before turning to Mike.

"Okay, pack up your stuff, let's go."

"Um....go where?" Mike asked, confused.

"Look at you, you're half frozen and it looks like you've been eating junk food all day. If you stay out here, you'll freeze to death, and I will not go through that. Not again. So here's what's going to happen - you're coming back to my house to warm up and eat something decent, and _then_ I'm taking you to school. And no buts! Or else I really am telling your mother. Now hurry up."

And that was seemingly that as she was already turning and walking back to where she was presumably parked. Mike scrambled to stuff everything back into his backpack. Strangely, the thought of disobeying her was never even a consideration in this case. Because as everyone knows, once Joyce Byers makes up her mind about something, it was more than likely going to happen. And this time was no different.

\-----------------

The ride to the Byers house was brief and silent. Mike had managed to maneuver his bike into the backseat of the car with only minimal hassle so he wouldn't have to go back to get it later. When they pulled up into the driveway, Joyce wordlessly got out and trudged to the house. The awkwardness of the whole situation was making Mike think twice on whether this was a good idea or not. But one look back from Joyce, her eyebrow arched with impatience, was enough to jumpstart the boy into action as he followed her into the house.

Mike would be lying if he said his breath didn't hitch as he entered - after all, this was the first time he had been back in the house since that fateful night. Joyce's behavioral turn had been swift and sudden, starting as soon as they brought Will's body back into the kitchen. She almost immediately lunged towards Hopper, berating him for closing the gate so soon, blaming him for killing Will. Jonathan had been quick to hold her back, but the police chief said nothing in his own defense, accepting full responsibility for what had happened, despite what he had told the kids earlier. That he had tried to wait as long as possible before closing it.

Steve tried to explain on his behalf what had happened with the walkie, but Joyce was having none of it, screaming at the top of her lungs for him to get out. Understanding that Joyce was not herself, the group decided to leave with stammered apologies and muttered condolences. Steve offered to take Hopper and El to the hospital, while Nancy would take care of getting the rest of the kids home.

Up until this point, Mike had remained motionless on his knees, sobbing as he stared at his best friend's corpse laying on the table. However, now as his sister was gently tapping on his shoulder, telling him it was time to go, reality set in. The horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach only grew, and suddenly he was terrified to leave. He knew that if he left Will now, that would be it. He knew he would never see him again. That everything would be _final._

"C-can I stay? Please?" he had whimpered out, looking in Joyce's direction. Jonathan appeared to be inclined to let him stay, but he looked to his mother for the final decision. But Joyce said nothing, just emptily staring through Mike, like he hadn't even said anything. Like he wasn't even there.

"Sorry Mike," Jonathan said, looking apologetic. "It's just....I think we just need to be alone right now."

Mike felt his heart break into a thousand pieces.

"Of course, we understand," Nancy replied, grabbing her brother's arm gently to lead him away. "Let's go, Mike. Mike?"

\---------

"Mike?"

The teen jumped a bit as Joyce broke into his flashback. "I asked if roast beef was okay?" 

Mike looked up confused to see Joyce with a plate out with two slices of bread already on it. "Uh, yeah," he answered. "Roast beef is fine."

He watched as she added the meat, mustard, mayo, and lettuce, before slicing off the crust and cutting it diagonally into two triangles. He smiled a bit to himself that she still remembered exactly how he liked his sandwiches made after all this time. "Here, sit down," she said, placing the plate on the table.

Mike felt a brief wave of nausea roll through him as he remembered who had been laid out on that very table the last time he was here. But he obeyed, and soon hunger took over, as the physical and emotional toll of the day, combined with his skipped breakfast, seemed to hit all at once. Joyce, apparently, wasn't hungry, but sat down across from him as he began to eat. She casually lit a cigarette and took a deep drag before she began.

"So...how's school?"

Well, considering Mike was failing P.E. and History, and barely passing Math, Science and English....not great. 

"Fine," he lied. Joyce just raised an unbelieving eyebrow as she flicked a bit of her cigarette ash into a vaguely familiar looking ashtray in front of her, but she didn't inquire further. Ugh...Mike hated small talk with adults. He never knew what to say to them! Don't get him wrong, Joyce used to be the exception - he felt more at home and at ease talking to Joyce than he did his own mother at times. But that was the old Joyce. The Joyce when Will was still alive. So, Mike was actually proud of himself when he managed a, "How's Jonathan?"

"Oh, he's good, he's good. Junior year at NYU now, things are getting pretty busy for him I guess. Just talked to him on the phone the other day actually."

Mike made a noise of acknowledgement, allowing a brief silence to set over the room before Joyce continued. "He tried to get me to move out there with him again, you know? He's always saying I should. I mean...everyone says I should leave. Get a fresh start somewhere else. But...but I..."

Her voice trailed off with a quaver as her now shaking hands reached out to tap her cigarette on the edge of the ashtray once more. And that's when it hit Mike. That ashtray was the one Will had made for her when they had that ceramics art project in fifth grade. It was a pretty good one too, all things considered - and miles ahead of the misshapen 'flower pot' that Mike had honed for his own mother.

But it wasn't just the ashtray. It was his drawings, still hanging on the wall and the refrigerator. The marks on the door jamb measuring his height over the years. His favorite blanket, the one he always used to curl up in whenever he watched a movie, still hanging over the arm of the couch. Yes, now that he really took a good look around, Will was _everywhere_. And he realized that if there was one person hanging on even more than he was, it was Joyce. And the ending to the sentence she had left unfinished was now very clear. "You can't leave him here alone," Mike said softly.

Mike heard the sharp intake of breath from Joyce as she looked up in surprise. Which, he couldn't really blame her for - he was a bit surprised himself. He hadn't really meant to say that out loud, but it was out there now. The two of them just stared at each other for a few moments before a single tear rolled down Joyce's left cheek. "I can't," she nodded in whispered agreement. That seemed to be her last defense, because soon more tears followed, and within moments her shoulders were shaking with sobs as she buried her face in her hands.

In that moment, it was like all the years of coldness and disconnect disappeared as Mike got to his feet and rushed around the table before falling to his knees at Joyce Byers' side. All of the previous awkwardness of the day was forgotten with gangly arms wrapping themselves tightly around the sobbing woman.

"I already failed him," she cried into Mike's chest. "I let him die. I can't abandon him too. I can't...I can't leave while he's still here."

Mike shook his head violently. "It wasn't your fault! You did everything you could. You weren't the one just sitting around doing nothing while he died."

It was only after hearing his own voice crack that Mike realized he was crying now too. Joyce must have also noticed, because she pulled her way free of his embrace and recomposed herself. "Mike, you...you just did what you were told. You cannot blame yourself - I won't let you," she stated, looking directly into his eyes. "Now look, I know that Will was special to you. He was special to everyone. But you _can't_ let this ruin your whole life."

"But I miss him so much," he sobbed. "I miss him every single day."

"Me too, Mike. But you're young, you have your whole life ahead of you. You have to move on...even if I can't."

Mike didn't think that this was very fair, and his face must have shown it, because Joyce rolled her eyes in exasperation, an expression that was much more familiar between the two of them, before she continued.

"Tell you what...Will's room is pretty much the same as he left it. I mean, I go into dust every so often, but...anyways. Why don't you go in there and pick out something to take home. Whatever you want."

"Oh, Mrs. Byers, I don't know if I could do that -" Mike began, but Joyce was not having it.

"Mike...besides not being able to save Will, do you know what I regret most about that night? Not letting you stay and...grieve with us. Give you a chance to say goodbye. I heard you ask, but I was just so... _empty_ inside. So gutted. But you were too...I should've realized that. And I'm sorry. So," she waved off his attempted protest at her apology, "it would make me feel a lot better if you would just do this. For me."

"Are you...sure?" Mike asked, his voice still thick with indecision.

"Listen," Joyce said, rising to her feet and beckoning Mike to do the same. "Everything is just sitting in there, rotting away anyways. If it can make somebody...anybody feel better by having it...then that's what should be done. Now, go on and go back there. I'm sure you know the way still. I'll clean this up and then run you over to school."

With that she began clearing the table, and Mike found his legs carrying him on a path that he knew like the back of his hand, yet felt so strangely foreign after all this time. Will's door was closed as he reached it, the 'No Trespassing' sign hanging as always. Mike never really paid much mind to the sign before - he knew Will would never consider him a trespasser before. But now that he was gone...a part of Mike couldn't help but feel vaguely guilty as he eased the door open. "I'm coming in," he murmured.

It was, as Joyce said, pretty much the same as Mike remembered it. The furniture was all in the same place, the _Jaws_ poster hanging on the wall, various drawings, both finished and undone, scattered over his desk. Though, Mike noted, the drawing of the Mind Flayer was gone, as were any drawings of the tunnels underneath Hawkins. All the better, Mike didn't want to see those again. But, there were still drawings of the Party, both as themselves and as their D&D characters. 

Mike leafed through them fondly, a small smile playing on his face. He had plenty of Will's drawings at home of course. He had literal binders full of them, and he cherished every one of them. But, he figured it wouldn't hurt to have one more. And if it would really relieve Joyce of some remorse, then all the better. But as he was searching for a suitable one, his breath caught in his chest as he came across a drawing at the very bottom of the pile. It wasn't a drawing of the whole party, it was just of Mike. Like, actually Mike, not his paladin character. And everything about it felt different.

It was focused on his face, like a portrait would be, and this didn't look like some doodle or rough sketch. You could tell that there had been a LOT of time put into it. The realism was startling. His unruly hair of two years ago had been captured perfectly, falling in waves down to his brow. The freckles he hated so much were drawn with painstaking precision, dusting delicately across his nose and cheekbones. And his eyes seemed like they were actually staring back at you from the page. Suddenly, guilt came crashing down. This felt private, the way it had been practically underneath everything. He...he shouldn't be going through Will's personal stuff like this, it was wrong.

He quickly reburied the drawing, and hastily looked around the room for something else to grab. He knew he had to have something, or else Joyce would march him right back in here. Frazzled, his eyes fell upon a green, glittering object on Will's nightstand. He recognized it right away - Will's necklace. The one he had gotten this past summer from some weird curios tent at the county fair. Even though he had claimed it was his good luck charm, he had worn it only sparingly. On special occasions when he really needed stuff to go right. Which, Mike thought, was a shame, because it looked great on him. 

Mike gently fingered the jewel as he picked it up. At first they had thought it was just some piece of costume jewelry, but Joyce had got it checked out, and apparently it was real jade, set in gold, engraved with Chinese writing on its face. Quite valuable, the pawn shop owner assured her, had she wanted to sell it. Which was exactly the reason Mike was unsure about taking it. Joyce had said anything he wanted...but he was sure she would probably want to keep something like that. But just as he was about to put it down, he heard a voice from the doorway.

"Ah, the necklace. Nice choice," Joyce said.

"W-what? No, I wasn't...I mean I wouldn't -" Mike stammered as he went to put the necklace back.

"What? Do you not want it?" she asked, a puzzled expression on her face.

"No, it's not that! It's just...don't you want to keep it?" 

But Joyce just shook her head. "I told you, all this stuff isn't doing me much good here. Besides, weren't you with him when he got that thing?"

Mike wordlessly nodded, feeling a lump in his throat grow.

"Good, he'd want you to have it then. Now hurry up, we gotta get you to school before you miss anymore classes."

Joyce was out the door without another word, leaving the teen alone in Will's room once more. Mike surveyed the bedroom, wondering if this was the last time he would ever be in here, wanting the answer to be both yes and no at the same time.

"Mike, clock's ticking!"

With one last look, Mike strode to the door, pausing at the threshold to spin around. "Later, Will," he whispered. Then, after hesitating slightly, he slid the necklace over his head and closed the door behind him.

\----------

When they pulled up at the school a few minutes later, Joyce started rummaging through her purse for a pen. "What class are you in right now? Are you going to need a note or something?"

"Nah, I have lunch for about fifteen more minutes," Mike informed her, looking at his watch.

They both just sat there for a moment, silence filling the car. Mike was just reaching for the door handle, figuring the conversations were over for the day, when Joyce spoke once more. 

"You know, Mike....Will would've never admitted it out loud...but you were always his favorite."

"Wh-what?" Mike spluttered.

"Oh, I know, you four boys always liked to say you were all best friends together. And you were. But you...Will always had a soft spot for you, even more than the others. I guess I always felt it deep down, but I never really dwelled on it. But it became perfectly clear to me when we got him back from the Upside Down. It was maybe a few months after that, and some bullies had tried picking on him at school. Will was so upset when I got home, telling me about how you had intervened and got shoved to the ground and bloodied your knee."

Mike remembered the incident well. Some assholes thought they were going to gang up on Will between periods, and Mike hadn't hesitated one second to jump in the middle. Sure, he had torn his pants and scraped his knee for the effort...but he'd do it all again.

"Anyways, a few days after that, I was cleaning up his room and saw this drawing kinda half buried underneath some papers with a note attached to it. I couldn't make heads or tails of the drawing, some Dungeons & Dragons thing, but the note...I still remember it. 'Mike, you're the best paladin (and friend) anyone could ever ask for. Thanks for always being there, no matter what. I truly don't know what I'd do without you.' It was just...so cute. But it could also be seen as a little...hmmm...intense for boys your age. I wondered if he would really give it to you or not...did he?"

The raven-haired teen was sure his face was on fire by now. He remembered getting the drawing (Mike's paladin valiantly defending Will the Wise from enemies), as well as a heartfelt thank you from Will. But there had been no note. He definitely would've remembered something like that. "J-just the picture," Mike stammered out.

"Ah, I thought that might be the case," Joyce replied, a little sadly. "I wish that society wasn't always telling people how to act. Boys have to be this way, girls have to be this way, and so forth. I tried to tell Will not to listen to such things, and for the most part I think he tried not to, but sometimes...well, that's neither here nor there. I just wanted you to know that Will...well, he thought the world of you Mike. And I'm so, so happy you were always there for my boy. And that even now, you continue to think about him."

Mike gulped as he waited for the inevitable 'but' as Joyce made firm eye contact.

"But," she continued, "you cannot let this continue to drag you down, okay? Will wouldn't have wanted that. He would want you to be happy. And patch things up with your friends. And _definitely_ stop failing classes on his account."

"Wh-what!? How did you -" Mike spluttered.

"You've never been able to lie worth anything Mike," Joyce said, a small smile creeping in on her features. "Especially to me. Now, get in there, and don't let me catch you skipping again, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Mike sighed before getting out of the car and wrestling his bike out of the backseat. He took a couple of steps before looking back over his shoulder. "Hey, you think that...I could maybe visit you sometimes? Just every once in awhile?"

"Yeah...yeah, I think I'd like that," Joyce replied. Then with one last wave, she drove off, leaving the teen alone.

That...had gone as well as could be expected, Mike thought to himself. He never would have dreamed that he would be able to get through to the cold-hearted person that Joyce Byers had seemingly become. He would definitely be taking this as a victory - but he didn't have time to celebrate it now. Because it was with a heavy sigh that he turned and trudged towards his next nemesis. One that wouldn't be so easily conquered. His daily, never-ending nightmare - Hawkins High School.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats to those who guessed that it definitely wasn't Will's voice at the end of the last chapter haha. But, you know, never rule anything out. This is Hawkins ;)
> 
> Comments and kudos appreciated as always.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. And sorry that it's shorter than normal. I was having a few issues with this chapter, but I think I finally got it close enough to where I want. Or I'm tired and posting it anyways.

Mike Wheeler never necessarily _liked_ school. After all, it was pretty much a requirement of being a kid that you couldn't. You had to grumble and grouse, make it hard for your mom to wake you up in the morning, and on occasion, try to fake sick to get out of going. But, if you held his feet to the fire, Mike didn't use to _dislike_ school either.

Sure, you had to deal with the bullies and the assholes. And yeah, a lot of the classes _were_ boring, but sometimes you actually really got to learn some neat stuff (mostly in science class). But the real reason Mike actually didn't mind going to school was of course his friends. The Party. He had met Will the first day of school - the _very first day_ of kindergarten. The two had been practically inseparable after that, not even bothering to make any other friends the rest of the year. Sure, they played with other kids sometimes (if they were nice), but they didn't really let anyone into their little circle of two until the next year.

Mike was initially unsure about Lucas, but Will told him that the dark-skinned boy had offered to share his food with Will at snack time when Mike was out sick the day before (Will didn't always have his own snack, but Mike was usually there to share with). "He's really nice Mikey, I promise." And so Mike, who would've been perfectly happy just staying friends with only Will, had given him a chance, just because Will said so. And it turned out Will was right - Lucas _was_ nice. And funny too. And just like that, two became three, and a trio they stayed for a few years.

By then, the social castes of school were becoming pretty clearly defined, and Mike, Will, and Lucas were not near the top of any popularity contests. So when a chubby new kid with no front teeth showed up in the fourth grade, he inevitably fill into the trio's laps. But, once you got to know him, it was hard not to like Dustin Henderson, with his infectious smile and goofy sense of humor. And later that year, with the introduction of Dungeons & Dragons into the group, the Party was formed. It went much further than the board game though. The bond the four shared was deep and real, and Mike had been sure it would last forever.

But now, Mike's reason for tolerating school was gone - the Party wasn't waiting behind the doors of Hawkins High to greet him. Will wasn't, for obvious reasons. And sure, Lucas and Dustin were technically inside the building, but the Party was a thing of the past. They had tried at first to keep it together, but things gradually fell apart, with Mike withdrawing into himself more and more, until an explosive argument occurred. Lucas had been trying to get Mike out more, get him to let go just a little, and, well, it didn't work out as planned. Hurtful things had been said by both boys, and they had really never come back together after that.

Now, Mike and Lucas weren't mortal enemies or anything like that. They just didn't talk anymore, choosing to ignore each other's presence completely whenever possible. Lucas now spent a lot of time with his girlfriend Max, the two having started to properly date not long after Will's death. Meanwhile Mike had turned into a loner at school, refusing to make any other friends and opting to take his lunches by himself in the cafeteria. Which was just fine with him, he didn't wanna connect with anyone else anyways. In fact, his plan to completely isolate himself almost worked to perfection, there was just the tiny problem of...

Dustin Henderson. He wasn't to be driven away so easily, despite Mike's best attempts. They didn't hang out outside of school or anything, but Dustin made it a point to come sit with Mike during lunch once or twice a week. The curly-haired teen would rotate between eating with Mike some days, Lucas and Max others, or other friends from the various clubs he had dabbled in, no doubt to keep his mind occupied. Regardless of how sullen or quiet Mike was, Dustin never let it drag his own mood down, cheerily hopping from one subject to another. At some point Mike had just begrudgingly accepted Dustin's presence at his lunch table at least once during the week.

And Eleven? The girl Mike was so sure he was in love with - the one that he was destined to end up with? No, she wasn't waiting for Mike inside that building either. Because that was the thing Mike Wheeler had fucked up most of all. 

Eleven had been in the hospital for a solid month after closing the gate. It almost literally killed her, taking all the strength she had to first fight through the horde of demodogs and then battle with the Mind Flayer to close his portal to our world. She had survived, but at great cost - her powers never did come back.

They had tried dating after that. At first Mike found comfort in being with her, knowing that she was alive and okay. But it didn't last long, as Mike's depression and withdrawal begin to affect their relationship as well. Eleven was sweet and patient, trying to give Mike the time he needed to heal. She even thought that she might be an outlet for him to talk to about Will - but that was where she made her mistake.

It was during a walk in the woods around Hopper's cabin, one of the few places he let them go out together, that she took her opportunity. The silence had been deafening, as it always nearly was these days before she spoke. "Mike...I just want you to know that if you ever want to talk...I'm here."

"Talk about what?" Mike had asked, his tone flat and disinterested.

"You know...about Will."

_That_ had gotten his attention. His head snapped up and he let go of Eleven's hand which he had been holding. "Why...would I want to talk to you about Will?"

His voice was dangerous, his eyes hard and cold, and if El had known more about social norms, she probably would've backed off. But she wanted to help Mike so badly, that she pressed forward. "I know...I know you're sad about him. And that you miss him, we all do. But -"

"What!?" Mike cut in, incredulously. "That's really funny coming from you, El. You can't miss him! You never even knew him! In fact, you're the one that kil-"

Mike never finished the word - but he didn't have to, it was out there now. He took one look at El's face as it scrunched up in pain and knew he had gone too far. "Shit, wait, El, I didn't -"

_Slap!!_

El's hand met resoundingly with the side of Mike's face before she burst into tears and ran off back in the direction of the cabin, leaving the boy standing there, stunned. Mike, for his part, didn't chase after her. He didn't really have the energy to. Instead he just slumped backwards, his back resting up against a tree as he slid down to the ground. He gingerly brought his hand up to his cheek, feeling the red hot spot where El had made impact. "Idiot," he muttered to himself, his head drooping down dejectedly.

It was in that very spot that a furious Hopper found him twenty minutes later. "There you are you little asshole," he said, grabbing Mike by his shirt collars and hauling him to his feet. "How dare you!? HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO HER!?"

The burly man was more upset than Mike had ever seen him, his one good eye filled with rage. But the teen offered no resistance, letting the sheriff slam him back up against the tree. "Do you have any idea how many nightmares she's had about that very thing? How many times she's cried herself to sleep, insisting that it was her fault that Will died? Huh!? And then, just when she's finally started to accept she wasn't to blame, YOU, the person that she trusts the most, have the nerve to -"

"I know," Mike said, cutting his rant short as he finally looked the man in the face. He must've been quite a mess with his tear-streaked face. But it was the lack of any sort of fire in his eyes that would've unsettled those that knew Mike best. "I'm a piece of shit, okay. I know. I...don't know what's wrong with me. I end up hurting everyone that gets close to me. Or worse. Fuck...if only Will wouldn't have ended up with a useless friend like me, he might still be alive."

The anger had all but faded from Hopper's face now. After all, it was probably hard to be mad at the pitiful creature that was now in front of him. "Look, kid. I know...you've been through a lot of shit. We all have. This has fucked us up beyond belief, and none of us will ever be the same again. But you _can't_ take this out on people that don't deserve it. Not your friends. Not El. And most of all, not yourself. There was nothing you could've done Mike. So you have to stop beating yourself up over it. It's hard...but at some point...you're going to have to move on."

Normally a line like that would've sent Mike into a frenzy. But he had done enough damage for the day, so he just simply nodded miserably. "Can you tell El I'm sorry?"

"No," Hopper said, finally releasing the teen. "But you can come tell her yourself."

And so Mike had, a sincere apology with tears on both sides, and a hug signaling forgiveness from El. But that was the beginning of the end. Not long after, they mutually decided neither one of them were in a good place for a relationship. And not long after _that_ Hopper decided that 'Jane' needed a fresh start. So just like that, he packed up and moved, taking El with him to some small town up in Vermont. They don't talk often now. Hardly ever really. But last he heard, she had adjusted well to high school and was pretty much integrated into normal teenage life. Mike wished he could say the same for himself.

He parked his bike in the rack and adjusted his backpack before heading inside. His backpack...which he just now realized, contained none of his books or school materials. He might be lucky to find a pen and notebook in there somewhere. This was going to make for a fun afternoon of classes, he thought wryly, walking in the door just as the end of lunch bell was ringing. He turned a corner into the hall and oof - 

The lanky teen was jolted as he ran full force into someone, causing them both to stumble backwards. "Sorry," Mike began to mutter, "I wasn't paying a-"

"Wheeler?"

Mike looked up to see Lucas Sinclair standing right in front of him, his girlfriend Max standing not far behind. 

"Jesus, you look like shit, Mike," the dark-skinned boy continued. And it was probably true. Despite the extra time and care Mike took to look nice that morning, a fifteen minute bike ride, hours spent outside in the freezing cold, and two separate bouts of crying were enough to undo that careful preparation. 

"Gee thanks Lucas, you always know just what to say," Mike spat back, rolling his eyes in annoyance. 

Lucas looked like he was about to fire something back, but he stopped at the last second, instead turning to Max, who had just been standing there. "Hey, babe, can you give us a minute? I'll catch up with you later."

The redhead looked a bit surprised, but just nodded and brushed past Mike as she headed off. To be honest, Mike was shocked to. After all, he and Lucas weren't really on what one would call speaking terms.

"Mike...seriously, are you okay?" he asked once Max had left.

"What do you mean? I'm fine."

"Are you sure? It's just...you missed math this morning. In fact, it looks like you just got to school."

"So what if I did?" Mike huffed. "What business is it of yours?"

He could see Lucas was quickly losing his patience for this conversation, but his former friend seemed to muster up one last attempt. "Look, Mike, I'm just saying...I know you've had it rough. We all have. And then on today, of all days..."

Lucas trailed off as his eyes locked onto Will's necklace that Mike was now wearing. A strange look came to his face, but before he could comment on it, Mike swiftly pulled his jacket shut, hiding it from view. 

"Wow, I'm surprised you even remembered it was today," Mike said derisively. Any worry and concern that was on Lucas' face vanished instantly as he clenched his jaw.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know exactly what it means!" Mike replied, his voice getting louder. "Don't act like you suddenly remember Will now. You seem to have moved on quite fine with your life Lucas, with your girlfriend and your sports teams. You know, I sometimes wonder how much you ever really cared about Will at all!"

Ugh. That had done it. Lucas looked like he was about to explode, but their raised voices had drawn a lot of attention in the now suddenly crowded hallway. So it was with barely restrained rage that he managed to get his reply out. "Just because I haven't let what happened bring my whole life to a standstill doesn't mean I didn't care about Will. I did. And I still do," he growled. "And one thing I know for sure - he wouldn't like what you've become Mike. So do yourself a favor, and get some fucking help. Because you definitely need it."

And with that he shouldered his way past Mike and disappeared into the throng of students all trying to get to their next class. 

_"Try to patch things up with your friends."_

Mike sighed to himself as he remembered Joyce's plea to him not ten minutes ago. And this...well, this wasn't a great start. But he'd already had one successful reconciliation today. Not everything could be solved in one day after all. And so, with that in mind, he squared his shoulders, tucked Will's necklace into his shirt, and marched on to his remaining classes for the day, determined to make the best of them.

\-----------

Later that night, after he had gotten ready for bed, Mike found himself deep in thought about the day's events. After the altercation with Lucas, things had taken a noticeable positive swing. He just seemed so much more relaxed and comfortable. His classes didn't drag on _quite_ as much as they usually did. Heck, even dinner with his family wasn't the chore it always seemed to be these days. Reconnecting with Joyce had really had a huge effect on his whole outlook.

Sure, part of it was re-establishing a connection with the person who had the strongest bond with Will. Being with Joyce again was as close as he'd probably ever get to being with his best friend once more. But it wasn't just that. It wasn't just her connection to Will that made Joyce special to Mike. Joyce had been like a second mother to him, ever since kindergarten. It must have had a negative effect on his subconscious to know that she had been suffering all these years, sad and alone. And if he could provide just a brief respite from all that, then he was just a tad bit happier himself.

But, the benefits _were_ definitely mutual. Ever since he left the Byers house, he felt closer to Will than he had at any point in these last two years. The feelings comfort and reassurance that he had been missing...that he never really _knew_ had been coming from Will for all of those years...had suddenly made a reappearance. Now it wasn't exactly like Will was back by his side or anything like that. No, not really. 

After all, he couldn't actually see Will, with his expressive eyes and his intoxicating smile...but he felt like he could _almost_ see him. He couldn't really talk with him like they used to, hours upon hours of easy conversations and inside jokes...but he felt like Will's laughter was _almost_ ringing in his ears. He certainly couldn't touch him anymore, reaching out to throw a comforting arm around his shoulder, jostle him with a good-natured elbow, or embrace him in a quick, fleeting hug goodbye at the end of a sleepover. But it felt like Will was _almost_ within his grasp.

And as Mike's eyes drooped closed, sleep overtaking him, he definitely couldn't hear Will's voice gently calling out his name. But _almost_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it. Short, like I said, but I think we're now all caught up to date on where things currently stand in Mike's life, so we should be able to just move on with -
> 
> Reader: Hey, I thought you said this was a Byler story.
> 
> Me: Uh, it is. It's clearly tagged Byler, and I guess I'm not understanding what your -
> 
> Reader: Well! Where's the fucking Byler content?
> 
> Me, skimming back through the story: Hmmm...okay you have a point. Well, I'll definitely put some Byler in next chapter, so -
> 
> Reader: GIVE US FLUFF!!! AND A LOT OF IT!!! I think we've earned it!!
> 
> Me: Fluff? How am I going to....sigh. Fine. 
> 
> Next time on Redemption, the longest, fluffiest Byler chapter I've ever written.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah...I know it's been awhile. I've been having a bit of a tough time writing lately, the mood hasn't struck me. But I've been pecking away bit by bit and here we are!
> 
> I promised long and fluffy last chapter. I know I hit one of those for sure, seeing as this chapter clocks in at over 7,000 words (strap in, lol). I hope there's enough fluff. But honestly, it's basically a Byler date at the County Fair. What's fluffier than that? Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Remember to pay attention to the dates. This chapter is a flashback set between Season 1 and Season 2.

_June 1984_

The sun was high in the sky, shining brightly, with only a light scattering of white, puffy clouds to deal with. It was clear and warm, but not too hot. A mild early summer's day in Hawkins, Indiana - and perfect weather to attend the county fair.

The Party was practically brimming with excitement. This was the first time they'd been allowed to go out anywhere as a full group since Will had returned from the Upside Down. Joyce had, understandably, been a bit controlling about where Will went, and with whom. Sure, he'd been able to stay overnight at the other boy's houses, but their parents were under strict guidance to not let Will leave the house unless attended by an adult. And really, it didn't impinge on their activities _too_ much. But still, it was a relief when Joyce finally relented a bit and agreed to let Will go to the fair with his friends. There was one catch though - they still couldn't go alone. But, as there were no adults that were available to take them she agreed to the next best thing...

"Okay listen up, here's the rules," Nancy said, stopping them just inside the entrance gates of the fairgrounds. "Joyce told me to make sure that I had an eye on you guys the whole time...but I know you've been itching for a bit of freedom - "

"Plus you want some alone time with Steve," Mike cut in, rolling his eyes.

"What's wrong with that?" Steve answered smoothly, putting his arm around Nancy's shoulders. "Two birds with one stone. So listen up and don't ruin this for all of us."

Mike muttered something under his breath, but Nancy chose to ignore him as she shrugged Steve off and continued. "As I was saying, I'm going to make an exception if you can agree to these two simple guidelines. First, no leaving the fairgrounds. You must stay somewhere within the confines of these gates."

Simple enough. The four boys nodded their agreement.

"Second, no one goes _anywhere_ alone. For any reason."

"Nowhere? What if we have to piss?" Dustin asked cheekily, probably fully expecting Nancy to reply that of course she didn't mean nowhere literally. But he was soon proven wrong.

"Nowhere means nowhere," she said firmly. "Including the bathroom."

That statement was immediately and loudly met with a chorus of disagreements and groans of disbelief from all five of the males present. "Hey, come on now Nance," Steve stepped in on the boy's behalf. "Guys aren't like girls in that way, you know? We don't go to the bathroom in groups and stuff."

"Yeah Nancy, give us a break," Mike huffed. "That'd be like super weird if we all went in together, and -"

"Ugh, Jesus Christ, Mike," Nancy broke in, clearly irritated. "You don't _all_ have to go. All I'm saying is, if, for example, Will has to use the restroom, at least go and stand outside the building and wait. It's not like I'm not asking you to follow him in and hold it for him while he goes."

"I-I kn-know that!" Mike spluttered, feeling his face heat up at the insinuation. "I mean, even if you asked, I would never -"

"You know what, I'm trying to do you guys a favor, but all I'm getting is whining and opposition," Nancy cut in, rubbing at her temples. "Maybe Joyce is right, maybe we should just all stay together and -"

"NO!" everyone seemed to shout at once before Lucas cleared his throat and stepped in.

"Your rules are agreeable to us, Nancy," he said, smoothing things out. "We'll stay on the grounds, and no one goes anywhere alone. If someone has to go to the restroom, at least one other person will be waiting outside. It's reasonable. Right guys?"

As they all gave affirmative nods, Mike chanced his first glance at Will since Nancy made that stupid, unnecessary comment. The happiness the boy had exhibited all day long had all but vanished, now replaced with a small frown. Not to mention his face was now beet red. He was probably embarrassed, being made an example of like that. Even though Nancy had been talking to everyone, it was pretty clear that the rules were meant for Will especially. And once she specifically used his name like that, the point had really been driven home.

"Alright then, off with you," Nancy sighed. "It's noon now. Let's meet back at the food tents area in two hours. No exceptions."

Lucas and Dustin took off excitedly, with Will turning to follow, somewhat subdued. But they were supposed to be having a good time, so Mike stepped in, throwing an arm around his shoulders, a well practiced move he had all but perfected by this point. "Come on Will, now that we're free from the nag, let's have some fun."

His chief purpose was cheering Will up, but if his voice carried back to where Nancy was still standing, well, that was just a bonus. It seemed to have the desired affect though, as a light chuckle escaped from his friend.

"Guys come on. The line at the Gravitron is super short!" Dustin called back, causing Mike and Will to pick up the pace.

Over the next hour, the foursome took on a variety of rides and attractions, from the Tilt-a-Whirl, to the House of Mirrors. They even took a trip through the haunted house, despite some misgivings on Mike's part. He wasn't sure how Will would handle it, but he kept his thoughts to himself, knowing Will hated to be babied. And it was the right decision, because as it turned out, after dealing with _actual_ monsters and beasts from other dimensions, whatever 'horrors' the county fair could think up were pretty tame in comparison. The four boys ended up laughing their way through it more than anything else.

"Okay, what's next?" Dustin asked, looking at his watch. "We have about an hour left before we have to meet Nancy."

"The roller coaster, without a doubt," Lucas replied easily. "No visit to the fair is complete without riding that. And the line is always long, so it's going to take up pretty much all our remaining time to get to go on it."

Dustin was already nodding along enthusiastically, and Mike was inclined to agree, before he looked up and saw Will gazing wistfully at some of the tents lined up along the thoroughfare. Now, Will like the fair rides okay. Mike knew this. He didn't scare easily when it came to those, and found them quite enjoyable. But, what Will really liked most was perusing the other various curiosities the fair had to offer. Spending time just looking around at tents that held the animals, skilled artisans, or random assorted knickknacks.

Mike didn't mind that either. He would've preferred to just ride the rides the whole time, but, well, sometimes sacrifices must be made. Will would never say anything out loud, knowing how much Dustin and Lucas wanted to go on the roller coaster. He was afraid of accidentally guilting them into doing what he wanted to do instead. So he put a smile on and was just about to agree, when Mike stepped in.

"You know, I kinda want to check some of these side attractions out," he began. Of course, Will immediately caught on to what he was doing.

"Mike...you don't have to say that just for my benefit. I don't want to make everyone miss the roller coaster."

"Everyone won't miss the roller coaster. We can split up. You and me go check out these tents, and Dustin and Lucas can go on their ride. It's a win-win."

Will looked a bit hopeful at this prospect, but the other two immediately voiced their apprehension. "Mike, are you sure we should...split up?" Lucas asked pointedly.

"Yeah Mike," Dustin agreed. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea because of...well, you know."

Mike saw Will's shoulders slump again for the second time that afternoon. This time was even worse than when Nancy had made an example out of him. Because Nancy treating him like he was going to break was one thing. She was practically an adult, Will was used to it from them by this point. But the other Party members doing it too? Well, that must hurt on a whole other level. 

"Hmmm, well, I think we'll probably be alright," Mike stepped in, giving Will a wink. "What do you think William? Do you think you can manage to keep me out of trouble all by yourself, without the aid of these other two?"

A slow smile began to peek through on Will's face before he answered. "Well, I don't know, it's a full time job keeping you out of trouble Michael...but I think I can handle it."

"Well, there you have it guys," Mike declared. "We will manage somehow. Will can make sure we get to the meeting place on time."

Still looking a bit unsure, but having caught on, the other two finally agreed. "Alright sure. We'll see you in about an hour then," Lucas said.

"An hour it is," Mike said, watching as the two hurried off. Just as they disappeared around the corner, Will turned and gave Mike a nudge with his elbow.

"Hey, thanks Mike," he said, giving his best smile of the day. Even after all these years, the full-luster of a Will Byers smile was hard to look directly into - but if he was going to go blind, Mike thought there was no better way for it to happen.

"Thanks? For what?" Mike asked, playing dumb. Even though they both knew what just happened, some things didn't need to be said aloud. Apparently Will felt the same.

"Oh nothing...just for being you," he grinned before walking off, leaving Mike with a warm, fuzzy feeling in his stomach as he followed his friend down the throughway.

\---------

It had only been twenty minutes since Mike and Will had split from their other friends, and Mike was already sure they were having more fun. While Dustin and Lucas were stuck standing in line, Mike and Will had watched, fascinated, as the experts at the glass blowing booth had manipulated and stretched the molten glass into all sorts of amazing shapes. They then had visited a tent boasting a litany of medieval weaponry, oohs and ahs accompanying their dialogue about which sword or dagger would go best with whose D&D character. 

The pair then strolled through the assortment of tents offering carnival games, watching as a multitude of people failed at the likely rigged games of chance and skill. "Probably better not to waste our money here," Will said wryly as they passed booth after booth.

"Probably not," Mike hummed in agreement. But just then one of the prizes caught his eye. "Although..."

"What?"

"Look at that hat. That's totally something Will the Wise would wear," Mike said, pointing it out. Will followed his best friends gaze until it landed on the pointy wizard's hat. It was lime green and covered in silver stars of all sizes.

"Pffft, yeah right," Will scoffed. "Will the Wise wouldn't be caught dead in something like that." 

"Hmmm, I don't know," Mike insisted. "Maybe not that color, but the stars...he'd look totally badass in that."

"No way," Will shot back. But then a moment passed, and, "You really think I would look...well, Will the Wise would look badass?"

"For sure," Mike replied without hesitation. Will still looked unconvinced though so he continued. "Guess there's only one way to find out for sure. If I win it for you, you'll have to wear it."

The older boy stepped up to the counter before Will could argue at all. He hadn't really bothered to see what the game was before making his declaration, but it looked pretty simple. You just had to knock a stack of five steel jugs over. And you got three balls in which to do it. Child's play. "Right here, please," he said, addressing the man running the booth. He put his dollar down on counter and took the balls the man gave him in return. "Watch and learn," he said confidently, a smug look on his face.

Ninety seconds later, the confidence was gone, as well as his dollar, as he walked hurriedly away from the stand empty-handed. His last ball had missed so badly the carnie had had to jump out of the way, even though he was standing a good six feet away from Mike's intended target. Mike felt his face redden as the onlookers laughed at his less than stellar efforts. And while he was in a hurry to get away, he wasn't in so much of a hurry to not make sure that Will was right behind him. The smaller boy trotted a few paces to fall into step next to his friend.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Will said gently, bumping shoulders with him. "I'm telling you, that hat was a nightmare anyways."

Mike looked down to see a playful smirk tugging at Will's lips, instantly relaxing him. "Well, I guess Will the Wise is safe from that fashion choice, so we'll never know for sure now," he said, only half-jokingly.

"Eh, who knows," Will replied, his grin growing wider. "Maybe someday he'll have to try out some stars...just to see if it really looks badass or not."

"Maybe he will," Mike agreed. He suddenly stopped as he realized his hasty retreat from the games area had brought them to the end of the row of tents. "Whoops, came too far, nothing out this way. Let's turn back."

But a hand on his arm stopped him in his tracks. "Wait, what about that one out there?"

Mike looked over in the direction Will was pointing to see a large tent, set way off from everything else, right next to the fence on the edge of the fairgrounds. Unlike the other brightly colored structures with their attention grabbing signs, this one was a dingy gray color, and for all intents and purposes looked to be unmarked. "Probably just a storage tent or something," Mike said. "I doubt they'd put anything way out there that was meant to attract visitors."

But Will had a strange look on his face, and wasn't to be deterred so easily. "Let's just check it out then. If it seems like we're not supposed to be out there, we'll leave. Who knows, that might be where they keep all the really cool stuff!"

Mike was doubtful, to say the least, but he didn't see any harm in honoring Will's request. "Sure, why not," he shrugged, following as an excited Will led the way.

The tent was devoid of any other carnival goers as they approached, and Mike was just about to call it off when Will pointed to a small, simple sign above the flap opening that read _Far East Treasures_. "See!" he exclaimed. "There is something in here."

"Alright, alright," Mike replied playfully. "Let's see exactly what it is before getting too worked up."

The duo entered the tent, which appeared just as deserted inside as it was outside. Mike's breath was immediately taken away as the air was close and stuffy, heavily-laden with incense. "Jesus," Mike coughed, "someone went overboard with the scent sticks."

"Yeah, a bit," Will agreed. "But look at this!"

Hanging from the ceiling of the tent from a series of thin wires was an enormous dragon! From head to tail the entire thing must've been a good 40 feet long. "Whoa," Mike murmured in amazement as the two stepped further into the tent and stared up at the creation, necks craning to get a better look. Which is why neither of them heard someone approaching from their rear.

"Good day, gentlemen," a thickly accented voice came from behind them.

Mike and Will, both startled, whirled around to find themselves face to face with a short, stooped, elderly Chinese man. His hair, his bushy eyebrows, and his long flowing beard were all snow white, and he was dressed in expensive-looking red, silken robes that drifted all the way to the floor.

"Many apologies, I did not intend to frighten you," he spoke again, a friendly smile coming to his face.

Will recovered quickly and returned a smile of his own. "No worries, we just didn't see that anyone was in here."

"I was working in the back," he explained, motioning to a partitioned off section of the tent. "I don't get many visitors out here, but you are most welcome. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Zhang, at your service."

Mike could tell from Will's body language that his friend had taken a liking to this guy already. "Nice to meet you," he said cordially. "I'm Will Byers, and this is my friend, Mike Wheeler."

Mike thought that it wasn't really necessary to give out their last names like that, but forced a smile to his face anyways. 

"Ah, Byers. Wheeler. I see. Well, is there anything I can help you young men locate today?"

"Oh no," Mike jumped in. "We're just looking around."

"I will leave you to it then," the man said with a sweeping gesture of his arm. "This shop has mementos and curiosities from all over the Far East. Please feel free to look around as much as you like. Most of the items here are very old, but they're sturdy. Unless there is a sign saying not to, feel free to touch or examine them. If you have any questions, please let me know."

With that, Zhang retreated into a corner of the tent, remaining visible to the boys, but far enough away so he wouldn't be able to hear them if they spoke in low tones. A fact which Mike was soon taking advantage of.

"So," he said softly as the boys halted before a suit of samurai armor, "what do you think of our new friend back there?"

"What?" Will questioned, a bit confused as he moved on to the next display, Mike following close behind.

"Come on. The clothes, the accent...don't you think he's laying it on a bit thick?"

Will stopped again, this time in front of a large, embroidered tapestry that the sign informed them was from Taiwan. Being careful not to be too obvious, Will spoke without fully turning towards his friend, keeping his eye on the artwork in front of him. "You think it's an act?"

"Of course it's an act," Mike murmured, pressing in close behind Will, leaning over the Byers boy as he pointed at the tapestry, pretending to trace the path of a river with his finger. "No one talks like that, Will, trust me. His real name is probably like, Frank or something."

"Shh, Mike!! He's going to hear you," Will scolded in a hiss, trying his hardest to be serious. But Mike could see a grin threatening to crack his facade.

"Seriously," the raven-haired teen went on, ducking down forward to put his lips close to Will's ear and whisper. "I bet he's really from Chicago."

This time the shorter boy couldn't hold back, a torrent of giggles escaping from his lips as he playfully pushed Mike off before scurrying a short distance away. "S-stop it! That t-tickled..." he admonished, reaching up to furiously scrub at his ear where Mike's whisper had buzzed against it. Mike just grinned in return, noting how red Will's face had turned - probably because he was trying so hard to keep from laughing. "Now behave yourself."

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir," Mike replied with mock seriousness, earning an eye roll from Will.

The duo moved on, this time really focusing on the stuff in front of them. There were kunai knives and shuriken from Japan; statuettes of Buddha and silken saris from India; and paintings, sculptures, and trinkets from what seemed like dozens of different countries. They even came across an ancient board game from China, the simple criss-crossed board displaying several black and white stones serving as game pieces.

"One of the oldest board games in recorded history, 'Go' is still played widely even today," Will read from the plaque in front of it. 

"Hmmm, so this is what they played before D&D, eh?" Mike cracked, Will letting out a scoffing laugh in reply.

The pair were nearly through the exhibit when Will stopped short, and let out a small gasp. Mike peered over his shoulder to see what looked to be a necklace made of some sort of green gem. It was quite a sight, circular in shape and slightly raised. The piece was set in gold and hanging from a black leather cord. 

"Jade Talisman, from China," Mike read. "'Little is known about this amulet that traces its roots back to the Han Dynasty, but it is said to bring the wearer good fortune.' Yeah, right, I'm sure that -"

Mike trailed off as he noticed the look on Will's face, wistfully staring at the piece of jewelry in front of him. He slowly reached forward and picked it up. Being a long time dungeon master, he had a fair idea of what a lot of precious and semi-precious stones looked like, having to get their descriptions right for the many campaigns where they turned up as rewards. He would've not guessed jade as a first guess for this stone. Jade, usually, was a pale green color. But this was a darker green, almost the color of an emerald. 

"Hey, look, it has writing on it," Will declared, running his fingers across the surface.

Sure enough, there were markings etched into the stones face, which were then stained with black ink. Of course, they weren't in English, so neither boy could read what they said - but that just made the piece even more mysterious.

"Yeah, pretty cool," Mike agreed, picking up the necklace to inspect it for himself. He could see how much Will was drawn to this thing, but there didn't appear to be a price tag on it anywhere. "Wonder how much it costs..."

"I doubt it's for sale. And even if it was, way more than I have, I'm sure," Will said, trying to put on a cheerful face. "Oh well, let's just put it back and -"

"Never hurts to ask, Will," Mike said before calling out to the proprietor. "Excuse me! How much for this?"

Zhang ambled over to the pair, looking at what Mike was holding up. "Oh ho, the necklace! That is a fine choice, young Wheeler. You have a surprisingly discerning eye."

"Well, actually, my friend picked it out and - Hey! What do you mean 'surprisingly'?! I -"

"What does the writing on it mean?" Will cut in excitedly.

"Hmmm, sometimes is very difficult to translate directly," Zhang replied. "However, I believe the closest English word would be 'redemption'."

"Redemption," Will repeated softly, his eyes aglow with excitement. "It's perfect."

Now normally, Will was pretty much a closed book when it came to his emotions, _especially_ around strangers. He opened up a bit around the Party, and even more so when it was just him and Mike. But for him to be showing this much enthusiasm over this necklace in front of this man he just met...

"Ah, young Byers, you're the interested party. Yes, that makes much more sense," the man said, taking the necklace from Mike and turning to focus on Will, staring at him intently. 

The tense silence went on a beat too long for Mike's taste, so he cleared his throat. "So, something like this must be pretty valuable, huh? How much would it take to get you to part with it?"

"Unfortunately, this particular piece is not for sale."

"See Mike," Will said, clearly a little uncomfortable with the sudden attention being paid to him. "It's fine, let's just go."

But Mike, who was just getting over being vaguely insulted, wasn't going to let it go so easily. "Come on, not for sale? Everything has a price."

At this point, he was just arguing semantics really. He knew there was no way they could actually afford to buy it...but he wanted to take this guy down a peg before they left.

"I did not say that it was without a price, it's just not for sale," Zhang replied mystically. When the boys looked at each other confused, he elaborated. "There are other ways to prove your worth besides money."

Will still looked befuddled at the explanation, but warning bells had definitely begun going off in Mike's head. "And what other ways might those be?" he asked with a glare, firmly situating himself between Will and the older man. If this guy thought he was going to get Will somewhere alone for whatever this 'other method of payment' was, he had another thing coming.

"A simple test is all," he replied with a smile. "If he passes, he gets the necklace. If not, he doesn't."

"What's the catch? And where is this test going to be held? How much does it cost to take?" Mike demanded suspiciously.

"There are no tricks, young Wheeler. No cost. If you two will just follow me over to the table I have set up in the corner, we can begin. It will be easier to conduct sitting down."

The man's open and easygoing demeanor, and the fact that he freely invited Mike along as well, put the older boy's reservations at ease - at least a little bit. He still didn't think that this guy was just going to give the necklace away...but he was growing more and more sure that the old man was mostly harmless.

Mike and Will followed him over to a simple table and pulled up a couple of folding chairs as Zhang took his own seat directly across from them. "This, my young friends, is a test of fate," he said, a hand disappearing into one of the sleeves of his robe, and reappearing holding a deck of cards. "Now, this is not an ordinary deck of cards. Instead, these have pictures on them. It could be a picture of a star."

He pulled the top card from the deck and turned it around so the boys could see the simple five pointed star. "The cards can also have a picture of a cup," he continued, selecting the next card and revealing an outline of a chalice-like cup. "The object of this test is to guess correctly what is on each card."

"Test of fate?" Mike scoffed. "Sounds more like a game of luck to me."

"You can think of it that way if you want, young Wheeler. However you would need an extraordinary amount of luck. In order to pass this test, one must name ten cards correctly in a row, with no misses."

That....would indeed require a healthy amount of luck. The odds of getting ten right consecutively was less than one out of a thousand. Still though...those odds weren't _that_ bad, considering what the prize was, if the necklace was indeed an authentic artifact.

"The key is, clear your mind. Don't try to 'guess' what the card is. Try to _feel_ what the card is. If you are worthy, the fates will guide you."

Mike was about to make another wisecrack when he looked over and saw Will's face, completely serious, taking in everything this guy was saying. He wasn't actually believing this was he? Well, in any case, there was no harm in playing along. If Will wanted to buy into it, who was Mike to stop him.

"Can we both play at the same time?" Mike asked, a plan for getting to at least the second card formulating in his mind.

"Indeed. But once a wrong answer is given, that person may not guess for the remainder of the test. Agreed?"

The boys exchanged a glance and a shrug before Will turned back to the man with a smile. "Agreed."

Zhang carefully took the deck into both hands and began to shuffle the cards. Mike watched closely to see if he was pulling any fast ones, but nothing seemed to be amiss. Once done, he placed the deck on the table face down and drew a single card, holding it up in front of him, so he could see it, but the back was facing the boys. "Okay, card number one. What is your decision?"

Mike held his tongue, waiting for Will to choose first. He would just choose the opposite, and that way one of them would be guaranteed to get to the next card. He was only slightly surprised when he looked over to see Will with his eyes closed, an intense look of concentration on his face, as if he was really trying to hear what the fates were saying. "Cup," he decided finally, opening his eyes. Zhang looked over to Mike, whose own choice was clear at that point.

"Star," he shrugged.

Zhang flipped the card around to face them, revealing the chalice. "Young Byers is correct, he gets to go on to the next card. Young Wheeler, you have been eliminated."

Oh well. One of them was going to be wrong. And the smile on Will's face of having gotten it correct was worth it. He was so excited over getting it right, even though there was so much longer to go. "Okay, second card."

Just as before, the man drew the top card and held it up. And just as before, Will closed his eyes and spent a few moments deep in thought before answering. "Cup again."

Mike frowned a little, wondering if Will should've gone with star, but was proven wrong a moment later.

"Correct, again," Zhang replied, flipping the card. 

"Hey, nice guess!" Mike grinned. 

"Thanks...though I'm not sure it's exactly a guess, but..."

Will trailed off with a shrug as the man drew the next card. Mike was definitely scoffing internally at the possibility of Will being directed by some sort of invisible force. But his disbelief diminished more and more with the turn of every card. Star, cup, star, star, star, cup. One by one Will guessed every single one correctly, running his streak to eight in a row.

By now, Mike was starting to get pretty excited himself. He had no way of knowing if this guy would stick to the deal or not, but they were only two cards away from finding out. Meanwhile, Will had gone from excited to nervous. Mike could tell from the way Will kept wiping his palms on his pants that the pressure was getting to him.

"Hey," Mike murmured, catching Will's attention. "Relax. You've got nothing to lose here. If you win, great. If not...well, we'll go visit the thrift shop after this. I swear I saw a necklace that looked just like this thing last time I was there..."

His joke had the desired effect, Will giggling despite trying to fix a stern look on his face. "Mike, stop it," he hissed, his eyes darting back and forth between Mike and Zhang. The latter cleared his throat, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Are you done? Or do you need some more time?" he asked.

"No, no. Please continue," Will said, his face tinged red with embarrassment.

"Very well. Round 9."

Mike, who had been silently guessing along with Will this whole time, getting only about fifty percent of them right, didn't even bother this time. He just anxiously waited as Will went through his routine, breathing calm and steady, face relaxed except for that one crease right between his eyebrows. The one Will always got whenever he was concentrating extra hard. Mike had always enjoyed that look on Will's face, whether it came during a study session or when a difficult decision was put to him during a campaign. He always thought it made Will look particularly -

"Cup."

Will's voice snapped Mike out of...wherever his mind had just been going, as both boys waited breathlessly for the result. 

"Correct," Zhang said, turning the card once more.

"Dude!" Mike exploded, holding his hand up for a hi-five. "Just one more!"

Will grinned as he slapped Mike's hand in a well-practiced gesture. "Won't mean anything if I don't get this last one though," he replied, the nerves creeping back in a bit.

"Will, just remember the most important thing," Mike said straight-faced. When Will arched a quizzical eyebrow, Mike shielded his mouth face from Zhang and silently mouthed, "Thrift shop."

The younger boy barely contained a snort as he kicked Mike in the shin. 

"Final card," Zhang cut in, bringing their horseplay to a halt. Just as before, Mike watched as Will concentrated. This time seemed different though. Before, Will was taking about ten to fifteen seconds before giving his answer. But as Mike went on watching, the silence stretched to thirty seconds. Then forty-five seconds. At a minute, a frown came over Will's face as he finally opened his eyes.

"I...I don't know," Will admitted, looking a little distressed. "I don't feel anything. Maybe...I wasn't meant to have it."

"Just take a guess then," Mike said philosophically. "It's a fifty percent chance you'll get it right anyways! You're so close!"

Will just shook his head stubbornly. "I told you Mike, I wasn't guessing before. I just kinda...felt what the answer was. But I didn't feel anything this time. So I guess I wasn't deemed worthy."

Mike could not _believe_ what he was hearing. He wanted to argue the point further, but Will's face looked pretty determined, and it was ultimately his decision. "Fine then," he sighed, trying his best to put on a smile. "It's just a dumb necklace anyways. Let's get out of here."

The pair rose from their seats and took, preparing to walk away. "So, you have no answer then, young Byers?" Zhang queried, fixing Will with an odd look.

"Yeah, I have no answer," Will said, smiling. "Thanks for letting us play though. It was fun!"

"Well, in this case, it just so happens that no answer," Zhang replied, flipping the final card around, "was the correct answer."

Mike's jaw fell open as he saw the blank card in the man's hand. His mind eventually caught up to his body though as he figured out what was going on. "Hey, what gives!?" he shouted at the man. "You said that it was either a cup or a star. You didn't say there were other options!"

"I also didn't say there weren't other possibilities. I merely presented you with two choices, and you assumed there were no others," Zhang replied calmly.

Everything was falling into place now. Of course the odds were never as good as the one in a thousand that Mike calculated before. That was only if there were two _known_ choices. Once a third, unknown option was thrown in, that had to plummet the odds to near zero. Of course there was a trick! There was always a trick. The Wheeler boy's quick temper was about to explode when he heard an awe-struck voice from beside him. 

"Wait...you mean...I won?" Will asked softly, not daring to believe it.

Oh shit. Mike had been so focused on being duped, he had almost forgotten the most important part - that Will had _beaten_ those near impossible odds. He beat Zhang at his own game. Now all that remained to be seen was whether the man would live up to his part of the deal.

Zhang was staring hard at Will, as if he was trying to figure out some unsolvable puzzle. Finally though, he broke into a small smile. "Yes, young Byers, you won. Or rather, you passed. And now this belongs to you."

The look on Will's face was pure joy as he was handed the jade trinket. "I...I don't know what to say. Thank you so much! This is awesome!"

"There is no need for thanks," Zhang insisted. "The fates decided you were worthy...who am I to argue with them?"

While Mike was exceedingly happy for his friend, he had had just about as much of this guy's act as he could take. He was ready to get out of there.

"Just one thing," the old man continued. "This is a very special piece. Quite possibly the only one of its kind in existence. You must make sure to take great care of it."

"Oh, I will, trust me," Will agreed, nodding his head vehemently.

The sound of a throat clearing brought both Will and Zhang's attention back to Mike. "I hate to break this up, and it's been a blast, but, we really have to go," he said, tapping his watch. "We have less than ten minutes to meet Nancy, and I'm not really wanting to hear one of her lectures..."

The boys got up and were walked to the entrance by Zhang. "Thanks again, Mr. Zhang! I'll keep this safe no matter what," Will waved, ducking out of the tent. Mike was just about to follow him when the tent proprietor spoke up.

"Young Byers is lucky to have you as a friend. I can sense that your bond with him is special," Zhang said solemnly. "There is danger in his future though. You must continue to protect him, just as you always have done. He needs you to -"

"Okay, that's it," Mike said, whirling about. "Listen up, I've had enough of your mystic mumbo-jumbo bullshit. I don't _need_ you to tell me how important Will is to me - I already know that. And he's not 'lucky' to have me as a friend. If anything, it's the other way around. And he's _already_ faced more danger than you could ever imagine. He's strong - he doesn't 'need' anyone. But I'll be there if he ever does. Whether you or anyone else tells me otherwise."

And without so much as a look back, Mike stormed out of the tent, trotting to where Will had stopped ten feet away, oblivious as to what had just happened. "Everything alright?" he asked.

"Perfect," Mike assured him with a smile. "Let's go meet the others."

They had just crossed the distance back to the main thoroughfare when Will stopped with his back towards Mike, slipped the necklace over his head, and spun back around to face his friend. 

"So, how do I look?" he asked, popping his collar dramatically and giving Mike an exaggerated 'cool guy' pose, complete with a huge grin and double finger guns.

It was obvious Will was fooling around. Probably expecting an eye roll or a scoffing reply. But, in his current state, Mike could neither muster of these. In fact, he couldn't come up with anything at all. He was totally frozen, staring at Will's megawatt smile, the newly obtained necklace shimmering in the afternoon sun and bringing out the stunning green of Will's eyes.

The silence must've stretched on for a good ten seconds before Will's smile faltered a bit and his hands dropped to his sides, jolting Mike out of his stupor, realizing that he had awkwardly left Will hanging. So he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Amazing! You look...amazing."

Oh. Shit. Uh...that was...kind of weird, right? Mike looked up at his best friend to gauge his reaction and...yep. It must've been weird, because now Will's face had turned quite red and the smile had dropped from his face entirely. The shorter boy's eyes dropped shyly to the ground as he struggled for a reply.

"It!" Mike amended hastily, "I meant _it_ looks amazing. Uh, I mean, it looks amazing _on you_. Listen, both you and it look..."

Mike trailed off as he realized every word he spoke was making the situation weirder. But Will had apparently recovered enough to finish his sentence for him.

"Amazing?" he ventured hesitantly, a hint of a smile returning as he looked back up at Mike.

"Uh...yeah?" Mike replied before adding more firmly. "Yeah. D-definitely."

"Oh. Um, cool. Thanks, Mike," Will smiled, his cheeks still tinged pink.

A hint of awkwardness remained in the air, and Mike was trying to figure out how to respond, when two voices behind him saved him the trouble.

"There you guys are, come on, we're gonna be - oh shit! Cool necklace, Will!" Dustin bubbled as he walked up.

"Whoa, yeah, that's totally badass," Lucas agreed, joining the group.

There! That's what Mike had been looking for. Cool. Badass. _Those_ were normal responses. Why the hell hadn't he been able to come up with one of those!? 

As the foursome walked along, excitedly exchanging stories, Will shot Mike a soft grin and a shoulder bump that for the most part, eased the older teen's mood. Everything was fine. A rare moment of discomfort that would soon be forgotten.

But even as the group rejoined Nancy and Steve and sat down to eat, somewhere in the back of Mike's mind, the awkward exchange still lingered. And he couldn't help but wonder...what the fuck was that?

\-------------------

_Present day, 1986_

Mike awoke from his sleep refreshed and well-rested. He wasn't surprised he had dreamed of that day at the fair. In fact, he had kind of been hoping for it. After all, his recent acquirement of the necklace had put the occasion firmly in his mind as he had drifted off to sleep.

He sat up in bed and chuckled at his clueless dream counterpart. Everyone had always said Mike was oblivious, and boy were they ever right.

"What the fuck was that?" he said mockingly, mimicking his past thirteen-year-old self.

Of course now, more than two years later, he knew exactly what the fuck that was. What had caused him to momentarily short-circuit when he saw Will basking in the sunlight with his dorky bowl cut, trademark smile, and impossibly green eyes. Yes, it was all quite obvious now, and there was only one explanation for it.

Mike Wheeler was, is, and always had been, completely in love with Will Byers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We been knew Mike. We been knew.
> 
> Hope this was fluffy enough for y'all! The fluff isn't over for the story, but it will take a few chapters to make its return. In the meantime, kudos and comments would be awesome. Maybe drop your favorite part of the chapter below. 
> 
> Also, only if you're into it, feel free to share where your perfect Byler date would take place. First date, or established relationship, either one. Where would you send our two boys if you were in control? Thanks for reading!


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